News Analysis
England’s players woke on Wednesday to a different sort of pressure – bright Queensland sunshine rather than the relentless talk of a 2-0 Ashes scoreline. The squad, still intact after the Gabba defeat, drove north for three days in Noosa, hoping that salt water and a slower tempo might revive legs and minds before next week’s third Test in Adelaide.
Their first compulsory “session” was anything but orthodox: a lengthy game of PIG – essentially keep-ups with a football in a large circle, three touches allowed before ejection. The drill unfolded on Main Beach, in full view of holiday-makers, two prowling paparazzi and a smattering of journalists enjoying Australia’s school-break buzz.
Local radio double-act Archie and Bretz from MixFM could not resist a stunt. They turned up in full whites waving placards: “FOR SALE: MORAL VICTORIES” and “BAZBALLERS ANONYMOUS, FREE COUNSELLING”. Ben Stokes clocked the pair, laughed, and posed for photos that have already found their way online. Later the group tucked into fish and chips at Mahi Mahi, then dispersed for the afternoon.
Stokes, Joe Root and others have been easy to spot around Hastings Street. Tattoos, England kit and freshly bought Akubra hats rather give the game away. One local reporter, camera still slung over his shoulder, noted: “They have been good sports about it.” The players wave, stop for selfies, then disappear into cafés or the ocean.
Noosa was chosen deliberately. The gap between Brisbane and Adelaide is long enough to warrant time off, and at just under two hours by road from the Gabba it is a painless detour. With its broad beaches and reliably blue Pacific horizon, the town is Australia at its most picture-postcard; if a squad cannot clear its heads here, something is badly wrong.
Whether that reset can overturn a 2-0 hole is another question entirely. Alex Carey does not think the trip will hurt. The Australia keeper, who spent part of the English summer holidaying in Paris with family, pointed out this week that “both sides know the value of switching off”. Cricket Australia helped England organise the excursion – the hosts do the same when touring Britain – and nobody on either side is pretending four straight training days would have been wiser.
Still, the tabloid reaction was predictable. Thursday’s Courier-Mail ran with “Having A Bazball In Noosa”, while talk-back radio lined up callers to accuse England of “treating the Ashes like a lads’ tour”. The truth is more mundane. The players trained for an hour, posed for a few photos, then tried to behave like normal tourists. Privately, Stokes believes a day without nets is worth two with them if it sharpens minds for Adelaide’s pink-ball rhythms.
Inside the camp there are concerns: Jimmy Anderson’s modest returns, Harry Brook’s scratchy starts and the simple arithmetic of needing three wins out of three. Bowling coach David Saker flew up from Brisbane yesterday and met Stuart Broad and Mark Wood for coffee, sounding out plans for a more hostile length under lights. Broad, so good in these conditions four years ago, is champing for a recall.
Selectors will wait until Saturday evening, when the squad flies south, before final decisions. There is talk of resting one spinner, perhaps even pairing Wood’s pace with Ollie Robinson’s accuracy to squeeze Australia, who rely heavily on Steven Smith and Marnus Labuschagne for runs at the top.
All that, though, can wait another 24 hours. On Thursday afternoon Stokes hired paddle boards for half the squad; by dusk a few were still out beyond the breakers, silhouettes against an apricot skyline. For now England’s hopes of saving the Ashes resemble those paddle boards: afloat, a little wobbly, yet undeniably still in play.
